baug-han



7 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(Nu Model.)

M. G. BAUGHAN.

TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE. No. 589,685. Patented Sept. 7,1897.

fi C Ell INVElt/TOR A TTOR/VEYS.

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(No Model.)' Q 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 M. C. BAUGHAN. TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE.

No. 589,685. Patented Sept. 7,1897.

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A TTO/M'EYS.

(No Model.)

7 Sheets-Sheet 6. M. C. 'BAUG-HAN.

TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE. E

Patented Sept. '7, 1897.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

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7 Sheets-Sheet 7.

(No Model.)

M. G. BAUGHAN. TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 7,1897.

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A TTOHl/EYS' WITNESSES mans co, PFQQYQUTKOY. WASHWUT of Fig. 9.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

MILTON C. BAUGI-IAN, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE BAUGIII'XNTOBACCO STEMMING MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE. I

TOBACCO-STEMMING MACHINE.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,68 5, datedSeptember 7, 1897.

Application filed November 7, 1896. Serial No. 611,312. (No model.)

To 11.1 111710722 ('15 7716117] concern:

Be it known that I, MILTON O. BAUGHAN, of Richmond, in the county ofllenrico and State of Virginia, have invented a' new and usefulImprovement in Tobacco-Stemming Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

lli'y invention is a machine for removing stems from tobacco-leaves; andit consists in certain novelconstructions and combinations of parts, aswill be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention I have had in view the provision ofmechanism especially designed to handle tobacco from the point or tipend of the leaf, thus following the plan adopted in stemming tobacco byhand. I thereby follow natures law rather than oppose it, asis the casewhere the stems are stemmed from the butt-end of the leaf toward thepoint.

By my improved machine I provide devices for effectually removing thestem, whether such stem be intact and unbroken from end to end orbrolten or cracked in one or more places.

In the drawings, Figure l is a top plan view,and Fig. 2 is a sideview,of my machine. Fig. 3 is a side view of the stemming device. Fig. iis a plan view of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail section on about line 5 5of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a section on about line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is aview of the feed end of the stemming device. Fig. 8 is a section onabout line 8 8, Fig. Fig. 9 is a detail plan view of the foldingmechanism. Fig. 10 is a side view, part in section, of the foldingmechanism. Fig. 11 is a section on about line ll 11 Fig. 12 is a sectionon about line 12 12 of Fig. 10. Fig. 13 is asection on about line 13 13of Fig. 9, and Figs. 1a and 15 are detail views showing means forpreventing the stem from being carried down between the belts.

In the construction shown the invention is carried out by arranging thestemming devices in pairs, providing two main or upright frames A A; butmanifestly the invention may be carried out in single sets of devices,or they maybe duplicated to a further extent if it be desired toincrease the capacity. The two frame or pair arrangement is, however,preferred, because thereby I arrange the stemming, iufeeding, andleaf-discharging devices so they are unobstructed at their outer sides,as will more fully-appearhereinafter, and I connect the frames A A by acrossyoke B, fixed to said frames and having at its ends depending lugsor portions I3, having box-guides Z), corresponding with the box- 62guides 12 in the frames A. This yokeB is arranged over the lowerstem-feeding pulley D, while a yoke O, having guide-lugs 0, connects theframes A, near the front ends of the said frames. I

As thefolding, stemming, feeding, and discharging dcvices are alike onboth sides of the machine the description of one set will answer forboth or all.

The machine includes a lower stem-feeding 7o pulley D, a rearguide-pulley E, infeeding belts F and G, a stein-discharger consistingof a stem-guide II and a belt I, a cutter J, and a spring K for keepingthe stem in position against guide-plates L and M, together with thefolding devices presently described.

The upper and lower belts F and G pass at their rear ends aroundrespectively the lower stem-feeding pulleyD and the pulleyE and attheirfront ends around the pulleys F and G. Between the pulleys F and G thebelts F and G move in close relation to each other and practically incontact until they reach a' point in rear of the crown of the lowerstemfeeding pulley D, when the belt F passes off to the pulley E. Thispulley E is mounted in bearings which may be a djustcd by a screw E, andis arranged with its lower surface below the crown of the lowerstem-feeding pul- Icy I). The upper pulley F is mounted in adjustableand spring-pressed boxes, so it can yield when necessary, andsupporting-pulleys g and a tighteningimlley g may be arranged within thebelt G, as shown.

The lower stem-feeding pulley D is jour- 5 naled to the frame A andprojects laterally therefrom, as shown. This pulley has a bandface D atits outer end, a circumferential groove D at the inner edge of saidband-face, and a feeding face or portion D between the 10 said grooveand the frame A. This feedingface is preferably milled, as shown, orotherwise suitably roughened to give it a hold upon the stem of the leafand aid in pulling and in feeding such stem to the stem-guide in theoperation of the device.

Above the main lower stem-feeding pulley D and in line with thefeeding-face D thereof I provide an upper stem-feeding wheel I,journaled in yielding bearings and receiving the stem-discharging beltI, which leads at its lower run upwardly and rearwardly from the wheel Iand passes around a guide-pulley 1 which may be adjusted by means ofascrew In rear of the stemming-pulley I provide the stem-guide H and thecutter .I, both of which may be held to the frame A by the samefasteningbolts, as shown. The cutter J is in the form of a blade havingits point J running in the groove of the lower stem-feeding pulley andextending to about the crown of said pulley, as shown. At its upper rearedge the cutter J extends at J between the infeedbelt F and thestem-discharging belt and guards against'such belts coming incontactwith each other.

It should be understood that the infeedingbelts F and G do not pressupon the stem of the leaf, but work to one side of it on the foldedleaf, also that the lower stem-feeding pulley D and the wheel I, havingthe stemfeeding belt I, constitute the stem-feeding device.

The stem-guide II consists of a casting or frame II, having its upperplane surface at 1-1 arranged parallel to and in close proximity to thesurface of the stem-discharging belt, and the pulleys I1 of which I mayuse one, two, or more, as desired, suitably journaled and arranged toprotrude slightly above the plane surface of the frame 11. At its pointH the frame II extends close to the stemfeeding pulley in position toreceive the stem when out from the leaf. In advance of the stem-feedingdevices I arrange the spring K, located between the infeeding-belts andthe frame A, secured at one end to the frame A and arranged at its freeend to press the stem over against guide-plates L and M in position tobe cut by the knife operating in the groove of the stem-feeding pulleyD, where it can be acted on by the knife or cutter.

It will be noticed that the belts F and G do not run against the frame,but a space is left between such belts and the frame A for the stem ofthe leaf, and to hold such stem and prevent its being drawn wholly orpartially between the infeeding-belts F and G, I provide the gageplatesL and M, arranged alongside the inner edges of the infeeding-belts, andpreferably one above and the other below the same, as shown. I alsoprefer to make one of the gage-plates, preferably the upper one, asshown, adjustable up and down, which may be accomplished by passing itsfastening-screws through slots m.

The lower stem-feeding pulley D and the pulley I may be geared togetherby means of the intermediate gears N and O, meshed with each other andwith gears on their respective.

pulleys, and a similar form of gearing may be employed to connect thepulleys supporting the iufeed ends of the belts F and G.

In the operation of so much of my invention as has been described thefolded leaf when delivered to the belts F and G will be carried therebyto the stem-feeding devices, being held during such passage with itsleaf portionbetween the belts F and G and its stem portion held by thegage-plates between such plates and the adjacent frame A. It should bestated that in so supplying the leaf it is fed tip end foremost. As theleaf approaches the stem-feeding devices its stem is engaged by the freeend of the springK, which serves to keep such stem in position againstgage-plates L and M, to be acted on by the knife operating in the grooveof the lower stem-feeding pulley D, where it will be severed from theleaf by the cutter J when it reaches such cutter. The cut stem will thenbe carried by the milled surface of the lower stem-feedin g pulley andthe stem-discharging belt to the stem-guide, and will then be carriedupward between such guide and the stemdischarging belt until it isdischarged at the top of the stem-guide. As the stem is thus carriedupward the leaf from which it has been stemmed will be carried downwardby I the belt-sF and G and discharged between the lower stem-feedingpulley and the rear guidepulley for the belt F. Thus, as in the handoperation, the stem is drawn in one direction and the leaf in the otherand the stemming of the leaf is effectedin a thorough manner withoutinjury to the leaf, which is held at all times during the stemmingoperation, and until the stem is entirely removed, between the belts Fand G.

. It will be understood from the foregoing that the knife need only clipthe stem, the removal of such stem being effected by the movement of thestem and leaf, one up and the other down. a

It will be noticed that the infeedingdevices, the stemming devices, andthe stem-discharging devices are supported at one end by the framing Aand are unobstructed at their opposite or outer ends, and this is animportant feature, because, in addition to rendering the machine simplein construction and easy of access to all of its parts, it avoids anycontact of the moving parts with the free edges of the folded leafduring the stemming operation, and thus prevents any injury to the leafand permits the feeding to the machine of leaves of any size, whetherlarge or small.

In supplying the folded leaf to the infeedbelts it is preferred toemploy mechanism by which to fold the leaf longitudinally and to directit properly to such belts, and in the construction shown I haveillustrated the preferred folding and delivering devices, which includea table or support P, to which are journaled rollers 19 and p, whichfeed a spread leaf forward to a pair of reverselvrotating brushes Q,which brush the sides of the leaf downward on opposite sides of the stemor center, folding the leaf upon itself, and it is fed so folded betweentwo belts R, the stem lying above such belts and the leaf-sectionsdepending between the belts in position to move alongside adeflectorplatc S, which is twisted from a plane approximately verticalat S to ahorizontal plane at 5 so it will turn the leaf to a horizontalposition when it leaves the belts R. I extend the plate 5 slightlybe:yond the delivery ends of the belts R and preferably arrange it todeliver the leaf hori zontally to the infeeding-bands F and G of thestemmingunachine.

To prevent the stem from being carried down between the belts R, Iprovide means which may, as shown in Figs. it and 15, con sist of thegage-plates R, located over the belts R, and extended at their frontends forward to a point immediately below the meeting points of theopposite wheelsp p. In supplying the leaf it is placed with its stemabove and its lateral leaf portion below the gage-plates and is fed insuch manner to the brushes, which carry the leaf portions on oppositesides of the stem downward and deliver it between the belts It. It willalso be seen that in such operation'the tip end of the leaf will also becarried down between the belts, and the leaf will be so carried betweensuch belts R and the belts F and G, as it is desired to present the stemto the severingcutter not at the point but at a short distance back fromthe point.

By the described construction I provide.

mechanism whereby the spread leaf is folded, carried when so foldedforward, turned at right angles to bring it into alinement with thebelts of the infeeding devices, and is then stemmed in a manner closelyresembling the operation now practiced by hand.

The folding devices may be geared in any suitable manner with any movingpart of the stemming devices before described.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A tobacco-stemming machine comprising the infced-pulleys, the infeedbands moving upon such pulleys in close relation to each other wherebyto feed the folded leaves to the stem-feeding devices, the gagesalongside said bands whereby to prevent the stem from entering betweenthe bands, means for severing the stem from the leaf, and thestemfeeding devices substantially as shown and described.

2. A tobaccostemming machine comprising the infecd devices means forsevering the stem from the folded leaf and the sten1feeding devicescomprising a pulley having a surface to receive the stem and a movingpart cooperating with. said surface of the pulley, and adapted to feedthe stem positively substantially as shown and described.

3. A tobacco-stemming machine, compris ing the lower stem-feedingpulley, the stem feeding wheel, a guide-pullcy arranged in rear of thesaid pulley and having its lower face arranged below the crown thereof,the upper and lower guide-pulleys in advance of the said pulley, meansforsevering the stem from the leaf and the upperand lowerinfeed-belts,the upper belt being passed at its rear end around the said rearguide-pulley, substantially as described.

4. In a tobacco stemming machine, the combination with the infeed beltsby which the leaves are fed folded, and the pulleys around which theypass, of the gage-plates arrangedalongside said belts extendedlongitudinally in the direction of length of said belts and adjacent tothe contacting surfaces thereof,substantiall y as shown and described.

5. In a tobacco-stemming machine, the combination of the infeed-belts bywhich the leaves are fed folded, and the gage-plates arranged alongsidethe same extended longitudinallyin the direct-ion of length of saidbelts and adjacent to the contacting surfaces there of, one of suchgage-plates being adjustable, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a tobacco-stemming machine, the combination of the stem-feedingpulley, the stem-feeding wheel, the front guide-pulleys, the rearguide-pulley arranged with its lower side below the crown of thestem-feedin g pulley, the stem-discharging belt, the infeedbelts, theupper one being passed at its rear end around the rear guide-pulley,means for severing the stem and the gage-plates extended longitudinallyalongside the infeedbelts, one of the gage-plates being adj ustable,substantially as shown and described.

v'7. In a tobacco-stemming machine, astemming-pulley having itsperiphery divided into a belt-receiving portion, and a milled feedportion arranged side by side, substantially as shown and described.

S. The'combination with the stem-feeding pulley, the stem-feeding wheel,the cutter and the infeed devices by which the leaf is fed folded, ofthe stem-guidearranged in rear of the stemming devices, and thestein-discharging belt running upward in close proximity to the upperside of said stem-guide substantially as shown and described.

9. A tobacco-stemming machine, comprising the frame,the infeed-beltsarranged alongside said frame and unobstructed at their outer edges, andadapted to receive between them a leaf which has been folded along thestem, a space being provided between the inner edges of said belts andthe frame for the passage of the stem, and the stemming devices,substantially as shown and described.

10. The combination in a tobacco-stemming machine, of the stein-feedingwheel, the stemfeeding pulley having a groove and abelt-surface, the infeed-belt running upon said pulley at one side of the groove, the cutterprojecting into the said groove, and the spring whereby the stem isdirect-ed to said cutter substantially as shown and described.

11. In a tobaccostemming machine, the

stemming-pulley substantially as shown and described.

12. In a tobacco-stemming'inachine, the combination of l thestem-feeding wheel, the stem feeding pulley, the infced belts by whichthe leaf is fed folded, the upper one of which is carried in rear of thestemming-= pulley, the stein-guide and stein-d ischargin g belt arrangedin rear of the stemmingpullcy and the stem-cutter having its bladeextended up between the upper infee'd-belt and the stem-dischargingbeltsubstantially asshown and described. I

13. In av tobacco-stemming inachinethe' combination of the-frame,thesten1-feeding pulley projecting laterally from said frame andunobstructed at its outer end the-infeedbelts by which the leaf is fedfolded, guidepulleys for the front ends of said belts, the

rear guide-pulley for the upper belt arranged in rear of and at itslower edge below'the upper surface of the stem-feeding pulley, thecutter, the upper and lower gage-plates spaced apart and arrangedalongside the inner edges of the infeed-belts, the stem-guide and thestein-discharging belt all substantially as shown and described.

14. The combination of the stein-feeding pulley having a belt-surfaceand alongside the same, a milled or roughened surface, the infeed-beltsone of which runs on the said belt-surface such belts operating to feedthe leaf folded, supports for the other infeed-belt, the stein-guide inrear of the stem-feeding pulley, the part cooperating with the saidpulley in feeding the stem, the pulley G, the stem-discharging belt andthe pulleys for the said belt one of said pulleys being arrangedadjacent to the milled or roughened surface of the stein-feeding pulleyand means for severing the stem substantially as shown and described.

plates being adjustable, the stein-guide arranged in rear of, thesteminin-g-pulley, the stein-discharging belt, the stem-cutter and thespring by which the stem is pressed to said cutter substantially asshown and de scribed.

16. In a machine substantiallyas described. thecombination of thestemming devices, the longitudinal infeed-belis for feeding the foldedleaf to said stemming devices, the devices for folding the leaf,theupright belts leading from said foldingdevices to the infecd-beltsand a deflectingplate extending adjacent to said upright belts andarranged to turn the leaf to a horizontal position and deliver it to thehorizontal infeed belts substantially as shown and described.

17. In a tobacco-stemming combination with the stem n-iing devices andthe horizontal infe'ed-belts for directing the machine, the

folded leaf thereto of the devices for folding the leaf the verticalbelts extendin g from said folding devices nearly to the receiving endsof the horizontal .infceding-bclts and'the deflecting-plate having oneend arranged adjacent to the said vertical belts and'twisti-ng graduallytherefrom toward its opposite end and having the latter end arrangedapproximately horizontal and extending beyondthe discharge ,end'of thevertical belts and adjacent tothe receiving ends of the horizontal.infeeding-belts substantially as shownand I described. I v

I 18. In a machine substantially as described,

the combination with a table or support of the opposite brushes forfolding thelcaf and the belts arranged to receive the folded leaf whenfolded by said brushes and means beyond the brushes by which to supportthe middle or stem of the leaf between the folded portions substantiallyas shown and described.

19. In a machine substantially as described. the combination of a tableor support, the folding brushes the rollers for feeding the leaf to saidbrushes, and the belts arranged to receive the foldedv leaf as it passesfrom the brushes and means beyond the brushes by which to support themiddle or stem of the leaf between the folded portions substantially asshown and described.

20. The combination substantially as de scribed of the table or supportthe leaf-folding brushes, the devices for feeding the leaf to saidbrushes, the belts arranged to receive the folded leaf as it passes fromthe brushes and the deflecting-plate twisting from a plane parallel withthat of the said belts to one approximately at right angles thereto andmeans beyond the brushes by which to support the middle or stem of theleaf between the folded portions substantially as shown and described.

MILTON O. BAUGHAX.

Witnesses: v

P. B. TURPIN,

SoLoN O. KEMON.

